“There’s not a schniff of diesel off your schnout,” is a phrase that will surely live in Seán Kyne’s head as he prepares for the Galway West byelection on May 22nd.
The Fine Gael hopeful is one 17 candidates confronted by voters while knocking on doors in the huge electoral area that spans urban, rural and Gaeltacht districts.
The impact of the recent fuel protests looms large as political correspondent and Galway native Harry McGee can attest.
Fresh off the canvass he joins Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne on stage in the Róisín Dubh for the Inside Politics Live show.
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The panel profiled the constituency, discussed the runners and riders on the ballot paper, and parsed the potential impact of the fuel protests on the vote.
Byelections are notoriously hard to call but the team considers what other dynamics might shape the race; including a “vote left, transfer left” campaign and Catherine Connolly’s influence, the Social Democrats’ momentum, and what previous patterns tell us about how government candidates fare.
Linehan also fielded questions from our audience of more than 100 guests, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Dundee in Scotland.
You can listen back to the show on the podcast player above or search for Inside Politics wherever you get your podcasts.
